MLB April Power Rankings – Here We Go Again

The first month of the 2024 Major League Baseball is in the books, and now it’s time to look at where each team stands in our power rankings. Some teams are exactly where we thought they’d be, while others are raising eyebrows at how good or bad they’ve been. In either case, it’s only the first month – there’s still plenty of time to right the ship or avoid the rocks.

Anyways, without further ado, here are April’s power rankings.

 

30. Chicago White Sox

Last year, the Chicago White Sox were consistently near the bottom of our power rankings. It doesn’t look like that’s going to be changing any time soon. Only six wins, they’ve given up 79 more runs than they’ve put up, and just like that, they’re looking like baseball’s worst team. We’re not sure what else to say other than…yikes.

 

29. Colorado Rockies

Last year, Colorado Rockies’ owner Dick Monfort said that the team can “play .500 baseball” (didn’t think we’d bring that back up, did you?). This year, he said the only way to quiet critics is to “win all the time and that’s what we need to do.” With all due respect sir, going 7-22 in the first month isn’t winning all the time, maybe it’s time to stop the sound bites.

 

28. Miami Marlins

Miami has not had an easy start: losing three of your best starting pitchers early in the season (two of which may not return this year) mixed in with several key starters starting off slow out of the gate is rough. Hopefully the Marlins can find a way to turn it around because they made the right moves, only to get hurt by the roll of the dice.

 

27. Houston Astros

Well this is shocking: Houston is way down here in the power rankings. A hard schedule mixed in with some poor performances by players like first baseman Jose Abreu (optioned to Triple A at the end of April), outfielder Chas McCormick and third baseman Alex Bregman have hurt this team. Manager Joe Espada is really going to have to dig in deep if they want to have any chance of turning it around this season.

 

26. Los Angeles Angels

We don’t mean to kick the Angels while they’re down, following the news that star outfielder Mike Trout will need surgery. However, they’re not doing so hot right now. Manager Ron Washington is the type of guy who can really turn things around, but it may take another season before we see any real change.

 

25. Tampa Bay Rays

Since we started doing the power rankings for MLB, this may be the lowest a Tampa Bay team has ever been. Known contributors like outfielders Randy Arozarena and Jose Siri are off to slow starts, their starting pitchers have been dreadful and they just look like they’ve run out of steam. It’s unrealistic to think manager Kevin Cash will be out of a job after the season but this is getting bad.

 

24. Oakland A’s

The Oakland A’s are better than six teams, we didn’t have this on our bingo cards either. Surprising series wins over Baltimore, Pittsburgh and Texas have gotten them some momentum to stay out of the basement. What a comedy it would be if the A’s, in their final season in Oakland made the playoffs and went on a run.

 

23. St. Louis Cardinals

St. Louis is continuing on from last year where they aren’t looking great. Better? Sure, but they need something substantial before we can say that they’re a top 20 team in baseball.

 

22. San Francisco Giants

Hiring Bob Melvin looked like the type of move that would have helped San Francisco, despite the debacle with San Diego’s struggles. Well not only did it look good on paper, but that paper was turned into a paper airplane and thrown out the window because they do not look as good as advertised. It may be a hard division with Los Angeles and Arizona, but the “City By The Bay” may be better off celebrating Journey this summer for their 50th anniversary rather than the Giants.

 

21. Pittsburgh Pirates

What’s sad is Pittsburgh started off the season red hot and looked like they were going to be a team to watch for this year. Once they played the Boston Red Sox, they hit a wall. Hopefully they can get their train back on the rails.

 

20. Washington Nationals

While having a younger roster, it looks like Washington could be a potential break out team. May not get them far this year but some of their younger players are making some sort of an impact.

 

19. Arizona Diamondbacks

It’s still too early to call Arizona’s playoff run last year a fluke, but they are dealing with some sort of hangover. Manager Torey Lovullo better find some Advil or brew some coffee quickly, or else the D-Backs will find themselves out of playoff range.

 

18. Toronto Blue Jays

Another year, another middle of the road start for the Blue Jays. Many thought that Toronto would fly out of the gates early. Instead, they’re watching from behind three other teams in their division.

 

17. New York Mets

The New York Mets aren’t looking too hot right now. Despite some changes made, it feels like this team has been cursed and are continuing to struggle. Hopefully they can snap out of it because this story is becoming way too old way too quickly.

 

16. San Diego Padres

Time is running out for San Diego. They don’t have much more money, to the point that we have seen them sell off players. If they don’t get a ring out of it this year heads need to roll.

 

15. Texas Rangers

The defending champion Texas Rangers aren’t too far ahead of last year’s runners up. In fact, despite having a record over .500, they’re still behind eight teams in the American League.

 

14. Cincinnati Reds

Cincinnati looks to be putting the pieces together again. After an 82-80 finish last year that saw their playoff hopes end in late September, the Reds are looking to punch their ticket to the postseason this year. This could be a really fun team to watch this season.

 

13. Seattle Mariners

Despite leading the American League West, it’s surprising not to see Seattle in the top 10. However, they haven’t been overly spectacular to open the season. As long as they keep winning, they’ll be playing in October but they may need to shift into second gear at some point.

 

12. Minnesota Twins

Minnesota has some work to do if they’re going to catch Cleveland, but this is at least a good base. If they can put up a few more wins in May, they’ll make the American League Central look a bit more competitive. Not bad for a team battling for second place.

 

11. Detroit Tigers

Detroit is right outside the top ten but only because of a tie breaker. Detroit is looking better than last year at this juncture but if they can keep it up, they may make an appearance in the playoffs. It’s just a matter of who is ahead of them in the Wild Card race.

 

10. Boston Red Sox

Probably the biggest surprise this year, Boston has stayed extremely competitive despite losing key players to offseason trades or injury. They’ve had some of the best pitching in baseball, and are seeing some possible breakout seasons. Not bad for a team that many viewed as a lottery pick candidate in the offseason.

 

9. Chicago Cubs

The Cubs are fun again. Despite some hard series losses to Boston, San Diego and Texas, Chicago looks like they could be in a for a good year. The only downside is they are behind the…

 

8. Milwaukee Brewers

Yup, the team that poached Milwaukee’s manager last year is behind the Brewers to start the season. Despite some ugly losses, Milwaukee has looked really good to the point where we can ask: was it Craig Counsell or was it truly the team?

 

7. Kansas City Royals

Another surprise this season has been how good Kansas City has looked. The Royals have sneakily been one of the better teams in baseball, lead by good pitching and a few good bats. It will be interesting to see if the maintain their success but for now, let’s just appreciate how fun this team is.

 

6. Baltimore Orioles

Last year’s best story has continued its success, but still isn’t where many thought they’d be. Currently sitting just outside of first place in the American League East, Baltimore has been just as advertised. Their young player are getting better, their pitching is pretty good…it’s only a matter of when, not if, this team takes over the top spot in the division.

 

5. Los Angeles Dodgers

If you didn’t think the Dodgers would crack the top five, then you may be smoking something. They do it all: the pitch well, they put up runs, they play good defense, what more is there to say? Los Angeles should remain a constant in the top five this year, it’s just a matter of how high they climb.

 

4. New York Yankees

Despite losing their best pitcher, Gerrit Cole, to start the season, New York has been rolling. The Yankees are in for some hard battles as the American League East looks to be extremely daunting. As long they keep their eyes on the road and their hands upon wheel, they’ll finally get to the roadhouse in October.

 

3. Cleveland Guardians

The American League’s best team this month is the Cleveland Guardians. They’re relatively young and first-year manager Stephen Vogt is already looking like a future Manager of the Year winner. It’s a good time for Cleveland sports with the Browns seemingly turn the page and Cavaliers having a consistent playoff presence.

 

2. Philadelphia Phillies

The team with the most wins this month finishes in second. Philadelphia has been a strong team that’s found ways to win, thanks in part to strong pitching performances from Ranger Suarez, Zach Wheeler and Spencer Turnbull. Most of the time, someone like Philadelphia would be the number one team, but….

 

1. Atlanta Braves

The Atlanta Braves are like influencers: as much as some people can’t stand them, they share the secrets of their success with every team yet still find ways to obtain more success. Atlanta found a way to finish under the ten loss mark in April while having a +48 run differential. If this is any indication on how the Braves play this season, they’ll deserve to be viewed as favorites to win the World Series.